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Friday, November 02, 2012

LED everywhere

For over a century, the standard, inefficient incandescent light bulb has been the main source of indoor light for buildings around the world. This invention revolutionized illumination—something as simple as having light in your home at night without risking a fire was now possible. But, like all inventions that were once considered revolutionary and are subsequently discarded, the incandescent light bulb will soon be no more.

Nearly four years ago, the Energy Independence and Security Act became law, and among the law’s many provisions was the phase out of incandescent bulbs considered inefficient. The process begins in 2012 and continues through 2015.

The law first requires that all standard light bulbs that produce between 310 and 2,600 lumens of light increase their efficiency by a minimum of 30 percentThis is roughly equivalent to the efficiency of halogen lighting. In 2012, the sale of 100 watt bulbs that don’t meet the efficiency standard will no longer be permitted, and in 2013, the ban extends to inefficient 75 watt bulbs. Finally, in 2014, the standard 40 watt and 60 watt bulbs will be banned.

While the new law has been characterized as a ban or phase out, in reality not all incandescent bulbs will be barred from sale. Newer, higher efficiency and more expensive incandescent bulbs are, and will remain, on the market. There are also a number of exceptions for specialty bulbs like those used inside ovens.

Some states have also attempted to enact laws achieving to control the phase out on their own pace, but the results have been lackluster.

If you are a business owner that owns commercial real estate, then you have to start planning accordingly. Many are going to wait until the last possible minute to transition to LED or compact fluorescent bulbs. If this includes you, then think about spending some time on lighting sooner rather than later.

New lighting technology has significant advantages over incandescent bulbs—notably the cost savings.

LED lights for example, consume one-sixth or less energy to produce the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb. They also last up to 25,000 hours or more. In many cases, you only need to change an LED bulb once per decade. While it’s true that an LED bulb can cost 25 dollars or more, the energy savings alone will more than compensate for the additional cost in a short period of time.

A medium-sized office building could easily have 1,000 or more bulbs in the common areas running up to 24 hours a day. Add to this the time savings from not having to change bulbs—plus the reduced liability exposure from not having someone on a ladder every day changing bulbs—to recognize the significant advantages of the new technology.

Rather than wait until the new regulations require you to make the transition, do it voluntarily.